José Bautista

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

12 The bat flip lasted all of two seconds, but metaphorically, it’s still twirling. Bautista’s three-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers elevated him from star slugger to cult hero, and gave a new generation of Jays fans their very own Joe Carter World Series moment. For years, Bautista was the backbone of the team, leading in most offensive ­categories. Finally, ownership decided to bring in some backup. The results were miraculous. Torontonians came out by the busload—with extra adulation heaped upon Bautista (a nine-year-old devotee in a fake beard better known as Mini Bautista briefly became Internet famous). TV ratings spiked, and Sportsnet registered its top 10 ­most-watched programs in the network’s ­history—all of them Jays games. At number one on the list: game six of the ALCS, which racked up some 12 million viewers. Bautista is a hero for life among Jays fans, and an eternal villain to Texans. That probably suits the fiery slugger just fine.

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Under new president Mark Shapiro, job security for everyone is up in the air, but Bautista will likely be back, at the bargain price of $14 million a season, and he’ll be hell-bent on winning the World Series.